Japan school absenteeism at record high of nearly 300,000 in FY 2022

A record 299,048 students at elementary and junior high schools across Japan were absent for 30 days or more in the 2022 academic year, marking an increase for the 10th consecutive year, an education ministry survey showed Wednesday.The figure for the year ended March 2023 represents a 22.1 percent rise from the previous school year, marking a jump of over 20 percent for two straight years, according to the survey.The top reason schools gave for students refusing to attend was "a sense of lethargy or anxiety," accounting for 51.8 percent of answers.The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports…READ FULL ARTICLE